tersely

[ turs-lee ]

/ ˈtɜrs li /

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adverb

in an effectively concise manner; succinctly: This phenomenally prolific creator of tersely plotted psychological thrillers deserves to be on your bookshelves.The ordinance fulfills the tersely and clearly worded language of the city's comprehensive plan.

in an abruptly concise manner; brusquely: “Maybe that's my business,” replied the girl tersely as she turned away.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tersely

terse + -ly

OTHER WORDS FROM tersely

un·terse·ly, adverb

Words nearby tersely

terrorize, terror-stricken, terry, Tersanctus, terse, tersely, tertial, tertian, tertianship, tertiary, tertiary bursary

How to use tersely in a sentence

It also cited the minutes of trustee meetings, which describe the proceedings tersely.
The Nonprofit College That Spends More on Marketing Than Financial Aid|by Anna Clark, ProPublica, and David Jesse, Detroit Free Press|January 12, 2022|ProPublica
In his first and arguably most famous novel, The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway wrote tersely but lovingly about the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, during the seven-day Festival of San Fermín.
What physics can teach us about Pamplona’s annual running of the bulls|Jennifer Ouellette|December 17, 2021|Ars Technica
All that remains is a scrawled caption that tersely reveals what happened at the unseeable place.
In the galleries: A painful, political take on the art of cruel shoes|Mark Jenkins|April 9, 2021|Washington Post
Biden “is a very decent guy, is capable and bright [and] qualified,” Panetta said tersely.
Panetta Criticizes Obama’s Syrian ‘Red Line’ Screw-Up, and Other Failures of Leadership|Lloyd Grove|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“James is very generous with his comments,” Thurmond later tersely responded.
James Brown, Friend of Strom Thurmond and Mentor to Al Sharpton|Asawin Suebsaeng|July 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We have a daughter,” she told him tersely, “and she is hungry.
10 Juiciest Bits From Rielle Hunter’s Tell-All John Edwards Memoir||June 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"I need to speak to my aunt," I said tersely, not wanting to speak to Zardari.
My Father's Assassination|Fatima Bhutto|October 1, 2010|DAILY BEAST
And up there—alone amidst the clouds—Guy Oscard was, as he himself tersely put it, "sticking to it."
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman
Then, as the sacred chronicler tersely and with Homeric brevity tells us, the shepherd "slew both the lion and the bear."
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 of 8|Various
The charges, as worded by Nelson, were two in number, tersely and clearly stated.
The Life of Nelson, Vol. I (of 2)|A. T. (Alfred Thayer) Mahan
They were convincing, informing; tersely—even eloquently—descriptive, with a vein of humor adapted to their audience.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine
Upon one an inscription was placed which tersely expressed the true state of the case: "Pontifex Colinii necem probat."
History of the Rise of the Huguenots|Henry Baird